Switch-throwing device.



L. A. RIVON.

SWITCH THROWING DEVICE. l

APPLICATION FILED NOMS. 15H4. K M

Ptente .Indy 14,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHIEET 2.

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Wllll f LOUIS A. RIVON, OF DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 1W, i917.

Application led November 9, 1914. Serial No. 871,065.

To all cuwm t may concern: f

Be it known that I, LOUIS A. RrvoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Plaines, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SwitcheThrowing Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for operating switches particularly for street railways and resides in the provision of simple, effective, and inexpensive means that is to be attached to a street car or like railway vehicle and will operate to` vide switch throwing apparatus that is to be controlled by the motorman of a street car or like railway vehicle and is arranged in the forward part of the vehicle so that the motorman or operator of the vehicle may at will move the switch point to the desired position.

Another object of importance is to-provide a novel track engaging member that may be moved into and out of operative positionand is constructed so as to be rotated to throw the switch point to the desired position.

Another object is to provide a device of the character described that is arranged to be yieldingly extended for engagement with the track or rails and which is provided with antifriction means whereby it freely slidably engages the track and is prevented 40 from becoming deranged.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more l particularly pointed out in the claims.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view taken through a railway car showing my improved switch throwing mechanism in side elevation and attached thereto,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. `1 showing Another object of my invention is to pro-` the mechanism in out of the way position instead of 1n operative position, as shown 1n Fig. 1,

F ig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the railway car showing the operating mechanism in rear elevation,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken through the switch.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the switch point engaging shoe.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the switch point, showing the same in one position and the point engaging shoe in dotted line.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the switch point and showing the same in a position opposite to that shown in Fig. 6, and the point engaging shoe in dotted line position.

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of part of the device.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference the numeral 1 designates as an entirety a street railway car which has mounted upon the front wall of the front platform 2 thereof a rotary vertical operat ing shaft 3 that is journaled in suitable bearings 4 carried on the front upright wall. A right angularly extending handle 5 is carried upon the upper end of the rod 3 and provides means for the rotation of the rod. The rod 3 extends through the platform 2 and its lower end is extended laterally, as at 3, and is received by an opening in a circular head 6 carried by one end of a link 6, the opposite end of the link overlapping and pivotally secured to the upper end of an upwardly extending crank arm 7. The lower end of the crank 7 is connected rigidly to the upper end of a vertical shaft v9 that is rotatably mounted within an opening in the block 8 and is provided with a squared extension on its upper end. The squared extension 10 is designed to extend within an opening of similar nature that is formed in the lower end of the member 7 so as to prevent the member 7 turning relative to the shaft 9. A bearing ring 1l is secured adjacent to the lower end of the shaft 9 and bears upon the under face of the block 8. Secured upon the lower end of the shaft 9 and extending outwardly at right angles thereto is a wedge shaped switch point engaging shoe 12 that is formed of a rectangular metallic block which is secured at one end and has its free end beveled on opposite sides.

Securedat their lower ends on opposite sides of the block 8 are upwardly and rearwardly extending supporting arms 13 and 14. Secured upon the forward truck lA of the car is an upstanding bracket o r 4 arm 15- a slidable pin 2O that is slidably mountedthronghtlrebodyportion of the bracket 15 It will be observed that the block 8 car-v rying the 'member 1-2 is normally: supported ini spaced. relation to the rails-and upon :re-

leasing .of i theblock .T8 land. corresponding Y parts itwill rock to coperative position withfthe shoe 12 infposition vto move the switch. point aswill 'be latermore fully described." t

As a :meansffor normally vholdingthe switch 2throwing .mechanism-in inoperative position, provide an -operatingfpedal 2l' thatconsistsiof a relatively straightshank portion-25:and-head:` 26 formed on the Aupper endl thereof. 1. The =shank portion 25 is -insertedthrough:y an elongated opening 27 formed iin the platform 2 and is -pi-voted at a `point approximately centrally 'of its ends asia-t 28rto a suitable braeket-29 carried upon thehunder face of the platform 2. A helical retractile spring 30. is secured at l.oneend to.k an ear31 carried upon the under face ofthe platform -2 'at -a point `adjacent `fto the rod 3 andat its other end'to a link memberi'32. The/flink lmember 32 is pivoted centrally Vof itsk ends fto" the lower end of the shank 25 of thefpedal24 and is secured vat onezend to' the lower end of the spring 30.

.The other end ef the member `32 is loosely connected by means fof a link, chain or other suitable-flexible element 33 toI the -arm 13. The' spring 3.0 normally holds the :pedal 24k inl posi-tienes shown Ain Fig. 2 'and the mechanism out of engagement` `with the switch. Whenfth'e yshoe isi-thus raised from engagement Vwith the Etrap,lthe link 6 -will be raised bodily upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2,

and the lower vwall of the opening in the circula'rhead -6 will exert an upward force 0n the crank 3 and effect raising of the rod 3 to the position ,Shown 1n Fig. 2. This upward movement of the'shaft 3 admits of the handle vl5, at the upper end thereof, being positioned at a point where it can be conveniently grasped by the hand of the .operator. Another advantage to be derived from this fupwardmovement of the rod 3 is that should the chain 33 happen to become detached from operative position, when the rod 3 is in raised yposition,thereby effecting the loweifingoflthe shoe 12, the rod 3 will descend,` this downward movement of the rod serving asmean-sv by which the operator will be inotified of the disconnection of the chain oriflexible element 33, -and also notifying Ihim ofthe vengagement between the shoeand-the'track. Also,if the chain should-become detached while the shoe is in lowered position, -the rod 3 will not be raisedupw-ardlywhen released, und the operator will then-'be vinformed of the continuous engagement ofthe shoe with thetrack. In' this-manner it will be seen that the operator can easily determine `when the block is inA raised-or ylowered position. Upon the pressing down of thepedal 2l the block S carrying the shoe 12 is allowed to drop into operati-ve'position. The chain 33 is mounted upon a 'roller-"33s that is carried upon the under face ofthe platform 2.

Referring -to Figs. fl, 6 and 7 lwherein there has been illustrated the type of switch necessary to coperate with my improved switch throwing Zapparatus, the numeral 3l designates the integrally joined `rails at the switchl pointand 35 designates the ordinarily-constructed street railway switch point. The inner` faces of the railsBl-are grooved longitudinally or cut away asat 3G to receive the beveled end of the shoe 12 so as to enable the shoe to engage the switch point.

In operation, assuming that` the device is in= outlof the-way position as illustrated in 2 iirthe-drawings'and it is desirous of throwing ytheswitch point 35 from closed into itsother position,vthe pedal 24C is pushed downwardly allowing the roller 23 carried adjacent to the block 8 to engage upon the railslt onadjacent rails of the track and the -shoer12f to extend between the rails 34 and-into position for engagement with the switch point 35. Dependent upon the position oftheswitch the shaft 3 is rotated so asto'bringilthe pointed end of the shoe 12 intoeither of the grooved faces 36 of the rails34. By means of thegrooved faces 36 which faces extend beyond the ypoint where the Vfree end of the switch point engages one of the rails 34, the shoe 12 is permitted to engage between the-switch points and adjacentrraill 134 so that upon -the grasping of the handles :5 andthe rotation of the shaft 3, the switch-pointf will `be moved into the desired position. Upon release of pressure upon the pedal 24 the spring 30 will return the mechanism to normal out of the way position as illustrated in Fig. 2 in the drawings. The mechanism in being carried by the truck A is moved in accordance with a curve and the motorman permitted to operate the device.

Vith reference to the foregoing descrip tion and accompanying drawings it will be observed that I have provided a simple switch throwing device that may be easily and readily attached to the forward plat form of a street railway car and operated by the motorman to throw a switch point into the desired position without necessitating the motorman getting out of the car. It is only necessary to provide grooved side faces in the rails that are adjacent to the switch points and with this exception the switch structure generally employed need not be changed.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efflcient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and larrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as set forth.

What is claimed is l. In a switch throwing mechanism for cars, the combination with a car truck frame and the platform of the car, of an upwardly and forwardly extending arm carried by the said frame, a downwardly and forwardly extending supporting arm located at the forward side of the arm on the truck frame and pivotally connected for vertical swinging movement to the arm on the truck frame, a pin having its shank slidably extending through the arm on the truck frame and having the terminal of its inner end normally extending beyond the inner side of the said arm, a nut threadedly mounted on the inner end of the pin, a spring surrounding the shank of the pin and interposed between the nut and the adjacent side of the arm on the truck frame, a second vertically movable supporting arm located at the forward side of the arm of the truck frame and disposed adjacent to and in spaced relation with the first-mentioned supporting arm and having one end pivotally connected to the pin, a switch point-engaging shoe rotatably mounted between the supporting arms, an operating pedal, means connecting the operating pedal to one of the supporting arms to effect raising of the arms when the element is in normal position so as to hold the shoe in raised position and to admit of the lowering of the arm when the pedal is operated, means for returning the pedal to normal position after the same has been operated to effect raising of the switch operating shoe, a rotatable shaft, and means for connecting the shaft to the shoe, whereby to admit of the shoe being rotated when in lowered or operative position, for the pure pose specified.

2. In a switch throwing device for cars, the combination with a car truck frame and a platform of the car, the said platform having an opening therein, of a pair of vertically swinging supporting arms located at the forward end of the truck frame and each having one end pivoted to the truck frame, a block secured between the supporting arms, a switch point-engaging shoe rotatably supported by the block, an operating pedal disposed above the car platform, a shank carried b v the pedal and extending through the opening in the platform and pivoted therein, a link extending transversely of the lower end of the shank, a chain having one end connected to one end of the link and its opposite end connected to one of the supporting arms, and a helical retractile spring located below the platform of the car and in advance of the lower end of the shank and having one end secured to the car platform and its opposite end to the other end of the link, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS A. RIVON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. GRAUPNER, M. A. BEHRENS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

